INFIDELITY IN THE UNITED STATES.

It is a fact, with which some of our readers may be acquainted, that there exist in the United States two distinct classes of Infidels; one comprising the followers of Thomas Paine, the other, those of Robert Owen. Of each of these classes, it will be the object of this paper to give some brief account.

1. The Paine class.

The opinions of this extensive class of Infidels may be best expressed in Paine's own words :-"I believe," says he, "in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life. I believe in the equality of inan, and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy. I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, by the Roman Church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish Church, by the Protestant Church, nor by any Church that I know of. My own mind is my own church."- "Each of these churches shows certain books which they call Revelation, or the word of God. The Jews say, that their word of God was given to Moses by God, face to face: the Christians, that their word of God came by divine inspiration: and the Turks, that their word of God was brought by an Angel from Heaven. Each of these churches accuses the others of unbelief; and for my own part, I disbelieve them all."-"The creation of the world is the word of God, and the only word which he could give."

Paine pretends, however, that he would not treat with even the slightest disrespect the real character of Jesus Christ. "He was," says he, "a virtuous and an amiable man; the morality which he preached and practised was of the most benevolent kind; and though similar systems of morality had been preached by Confucius, and by some of the Greek Philosophers many years before, [and has been] by the Quakers since, and by many good men in all ages, it has not been exceeded by any."

According to Paine's distinct acknowledgement, Christ was not the author of what he [Paine] calls-the "lies" that are told in the New Testament about his birth, incarnation, miracles, and ascension; but was the teacher of many very important truths; such as the probability that the soul is immortal, and that the future state will be one of just retribution; and the great importance of correct moral demeanor in this life, for the attainment of pure joy in the next.

Such, in general, were Paine's sentiments and opinions, and the single mad purpose of his life, besides serving himself, was, to oppose Christianity. As was the leader, such too are his fol

lowers; and such, with some slight modifications, more or less, to suit particular individuals, are the principles of this class of Infidels, throughout the country.

2. The Owen class.

The father of the second class of American Infidels is Robert Owen, for many years a highly respectable Scotch manufacturer. Of Mr. Owen, as he appeared fifteen years ago, a reviewer of his system in Blackwood's Magazine, thus speaks: "We have great respect for the man, inasmuch as he exhibits no ordinary intellectual power, and is always distinguished by an amiable moral spirit." The Edinburgh Review, also, declares" that it is impossible to contemplate his distinguished labors and perfect benevolence, without feeling personally attached to this amiable enthusiast." "He is, unquestionably," says the Christian Observer, of London, "a man of much finesse, prudence, and caution, kind and affectionate in his feelings, and, withal, a most excellent disciplinarian."

Such was the notice he attracted in the commencement of his career, and the community in general were evidently impressed in his favor. Undoubtedly, we ought, however, to ascribe his success in Britain, to his superior talents for the government of dependants, rather than to the feasibility and excellence of his system. The opinion that he possesses an extensive reach of mind, especially on the subject of Political Economy, which, more than almost any other, requires capaciousness of intellect and patience of investigation, is refuted abundantly by his Utopian schemes and chimerical theories.

In the year 1812, Mr. Owen became connected with the mills of New Lanark, Scotland, the proprietors of which resided in London, and were religious men. He soon published a work, entitled "A New View of Society, or Essays on the formation of human character, preparatory to the developement of a plan for gradually ameliorating the condition of mankind ;” succeeding which were several others; as, "Observations on the Effects of the Manufacturing System," two "Memorials in behalf of the Working Classes, presented to the Governments of Europe and America," three Political Tracts, and various printed Speeches. In his tracts, he advocates the division of the community into parallelograms, the possession of property in common, and some other principles which will be noticed in the sequel. These doctrines had been advocated before by Spinoza, Hobbes, Godwin, and the author of "The Loves of the Triangles;" but now they were embodied and presented together, to a community, too, than which no one was ever better prepared by the distresses of poverty, and the vexations of com

mercial laws, to receive such a concentrated mass of folly. Accordingly, they were welcomed. And, considering the artful adaptation of his scheme to the feelings of a restive populace, and the caution by which its objectionable features were concealed from observation, we are not at all surprised that the name of Owen now became celebrated; and that a spirit of inquiry into the merits of his system was extensively awakened throughout England and Scotland. Pretending to have carried his plans into execution in the establishment at New Lanark, and the excellent discipline and cheerful obedience prevailing in that establishment being proverbial, he was hailed as a benefactor, and the popular acclamation was decidedly in his favor. Hence, in 1819, an attempt was made in Parlia ment to appoint a Committee for the investigation of his plans, with a view to their general introduction.

Some, however, saw through the false glare of his pretensions. The Christian Observer of 1817 had reviewed his system, and fully shown that it was an attempt, however adroitly concealed from the public, to undermine the Church of Christ. Suspicions had been thus excited, and a state of watchfulness induced, which proved, in the hour of trial, an effectual barrier against any parliamentary resolve in favor of his schemes. In 1819, the Observer again noticed him, and proved that his New Lanark establishment owed all its symmetry and beauty of discipline, to Mr. Owen's personal character, and to the Christian religion, which, in opposition to his will, was required, by the London proprietors, to be taught with peculiar fidelity. In 1821, Mr. Owen's system was reviewed in Blackwood's Magazine, and the errors of his political economy candidly developed. Before this, also, his theories had been discussed in a most masterly manner, in 1819, by the Edinburgh Reviewers.

From these various expositions of his errors, the community, large assemblies of which had previously passed the most complimentary resolutions in his favor, and seven-tenths of which were, as Mr. Owen supposed, in heart with him, began now to look on his machinations with distrust. In 1823, he attempted, in violation of the injunctions of his proprietors, to discontinue the religious services at the Mills, and to introduce some portions of his own plan. At this unexpected intrusion, he was unanimously expelled from his office, as Superintendant. Now therefore, he emigrated to America.

Soon after his emigration, there was instituted, at New York, a "Society for establishing communities;" in pursuance of which, in 1824, a community, conducted on Infidel principles, and consisting of about fifty individuals, including fifteen heads

of families, removed to Jackson River; where, having purchased about 1300 acres of land, they attempted to reduce to practice some of Mr. Owen's theories. In the same year, a similar community was established at Vashoba, in the western district of Tennessee; and, in 1825, at New Harmony, Posey County, Indiana. In 1828, the Infidels commenced at New York, the publication of the Free Inquirer; and, at the expiration of four years from that time, they employed in their service twenty different periodicals. They commenced, too, the publication of cheap popular Tracts, in the circulation of which, they displayed a zeal and perseverance which may well excite Christians to imitation in a better cause. They re-published, also, and industriously circulated, Paine's Theological Works, Volney's Ruins, The Elements of Modern Materialism, and the revolting productions of Sir Richard Carlisle. They instituted courses of public lectures and debates; appointed itinerating lecturers, and, in some of our large cities, held regular meetings on the Sabbath. In the Hall of Science in New York, they assembled three times every Lord's day; attended in the morning to a chemical lecture, in the afternoon to one on anatomy or physiology, and in the evening to a phillipic against the Christian religion. There have been seen sometimes at a lecture of some popular Infidel at New York, 2000 hearers. Infidel clubs have been regularly formed in more than forty of our towns and cities, they have been attended by from fifty to two or three hundred individuals, and been the scene of much profane debate and blasphemous mirth.

After this brief sketch of the history, we will now briefly state some of the principles of the New School of Infidels.

(1.) They believe that we have no evidence of the existence of God. With them, the testimony of our external senses, and our internal sense, or consciousness, are the only source of knowledge. Consequently, whatever lies without the jurisdiction of sight, smell, taste, hearing, feeling, and consciousness, lies without the pale of our inquiry. As rational beings, therefore, we are compelled, according to them, to confine our attention to the developement of natural laws, by chemical, astronomical, and such like investigations. To extend a thought beyond this earth, is to enter a region of mysticism and neverending doubt. What can we say of the origin of the Universe? We are conscious of nothing. Send out the five senses on ever so vigorous a chase after information; we can taste nothing, hear nothing, see nothing, snuell nothing, and touch nothing. Of course, we can know nothing. We give up the track, and although we may dream that the Universe was created, or is

eternal, or the result of chance, we cannot, in our wakeful moments, predicate any thing respecting it.

The system, then, of this Infidel School is not Atheism, but Skepticism; not the denial of the existence of God, but the denial of our knowledge of his existence. "We may, indeed," remarks one of the school, "safely assert that a being of attributes so contradictory as the Jewish Jehovah, or the Orthodox Deity of later times, cannot exist; but we can predicate nothing affirinatively, or negatively, regarding the existence of a thousand beings superior to man. Therefore," says he, "should it so happen, that there will be a judgment, and I be called to it, and should a Christian on that day rise up, and accuse me of Infidelity; I will say to my Judge in defence of my character, -I knew thee not on earth, for thou didst conceal thy existence from me. I thought not of thee, nor of this day of Judgment. I thought only of the earth and of my fellow mortals. The time, which others employed in imagining thine attributes, I spent in improving the talents thou hadst given me. I spoke of that which I knew; I never spoke of thee, for I knew thee not. To thee I appeal from this my accuser. And the Judge," he says, "will reply to him,-Thou hast well spoken-I placed thee on earth, not to dream of my being, but to enjoy thy own. Thou hast well done. I made thee a man, that thou mightest give and receive happiness among thy fellows, not that thou shouldest imagine the ways and wishes of gods. Even as thou condemnest not the worm, that has crawled beneath thy feet, because it knew thee not, so neither do I condemn thy worldly ignorance of me."

(2.) On the same principle of the origin of our ideas, the modern school of Infidels do not believe in the immateriality, or the future existence of the human soul. "The immateriality of a soul!-We know," say they, "nothing about it. It is, perhaps, possible, that there is a spiritual soul, and it is possible, on the contrary, that all our souls are, by the gradual incorporation of our food into our bodies, the very cabbages and cucumbers which we once ate. They may all be spindled in form, small in size, and black in color. Our mental operations furnish not an intimation to the contrary:"-(and truly, as far as their Infidel Tracts are concerned, we should be in a quandary whether they were not right.) "We have, moreover, no media of proof, that we shall exist hereafter; and it is idle to distress our souls with dismal forebodings of future evil, and to amuse our imaginations with vagaries of a judgment, a heaven, and a hell."

(3.) This class of Infidels inculcate the necessity of human